What are Some Painless Ways I Can Save More Money?

By: John, source: http://financialelite.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-are-some-painless-ways-i-can-save.html      

People usually have no problem spending money, but saving money is a whole different story. It's kind of like when you want to lose weight, but just like there are ways to cut back on calories, there are a few things you can do to make saving money relatively painless.

1. Whenever you get a raise, deposit the extra money you make directly into your savings account so you don't miss it. It is very tempting to spend the extra money, but don't give yourself a chance to spend it. Set yourself up on direct deposit right away and have the amount of your raise put away.
2. Brown bag your lunch. Taking your lunch to work instead of eating out will save you anywhere from $5 to $10 a day. That could be a $100 or more a month.
3. If you don't have debt, put your tax return in your savings account. However, if you do have debt, slap that refund down on your credit cards. 
4. Deposit any overtime pay, bonus or part-time job money into your saving account.
5. Pay cash for everything. You will spend less if you pay cash over using your debit or credit cards. It hurts to spend cash. Swiping plastic doesn't. Ditch the cards.
6. Put in your budget a savings plan for big purchase items like a new car. The more you put down the less your payment will be. Not to mention the money you will save in interest. Even better, save enough money to pay cash for your car.   

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For more interesting information, just click : http://financialelite.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-are-some-painless-ways-i-can-save.html

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What Should I Do If I Lose My Job?2

By: John, source: http://financialelite.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-should-i-do-if-i-lose-my-job.html                     

 

Is there a chance I can still get laid off this year?

There is a chance you can get laid off any year, but you still have a chance you'll get laid off this year especially. With July's unemployment at a high of 9.4% and the economists predicting it will continue to get higher until sometime next year, you may still lose your job.

You need to prepare to protect your family so that you can still pay your bills while you apply for a new job. Because of increasing unemployment finding a new job might be a pretty hard task. That is why it is imperative that you build an emergency fund that can cover your household expenses for at least eight months. You probably won't be able to save that over night, but the sooner you get started the better. Check out our tips on how to cut back and help you save to build your emergency fund.

If you are counting on living on your credit cards or a home equity loan you might think again after reading about what's happened with those credit options these days. In case you haven't heard banks are not in the lending mood lately.

You might even want to start job hunting right now while you are currently employed so you have an idea what job options are out there. You never know you might find something that pays more. Network as much as you can and check job postings in your field. If you come across something that you are not up on get schooled in it right away. In down economy employers aren't looking for employees that meet only part of their requirements. There is likely a large pool that they can choose from with plenty of qualified people who meet all of their requirements. Do everything you can to make sure your a top candidate.

I am not worried. Even if I get laid off I'll still get unemployment right?

Probably, but it won't be for the full amount you were once paid. You will still need something to supplement your income with and that will probably be your savings. The hard truth is maximum unemployment benefits are usually 50% of your former wages. Also, you only get those benefits for a limited time. Usually, you can only receive unemployment for 26 weeks. In economic times like we are having now Congress can vote to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks. Based on standards set by federal law, unemployment is handled by your state.

Check out the link "Find Unemployment Insurance Filing Assistance" at servicelocator.org to find your state's rules.

Can't I just use my credit cards or get a Home Equity Loan to live on if I lose my job?

You must start putting money aside in a savings account or mutual fund. The credit that people have been relying on for years is not that easy to obtain right now. If you don't have the credit available or the bank reduces your limits because their nervous that you are all of sudden charging or taking cash advances you could be without a way to pay your bills.

If you are thinking you may lose your job. I guarantee someone else is thinking it too. Probably your bank. Remember bank are way ahead of you. They know if you lose your job you will go right for your credit cards for cash to pay your bills. Not having a job increases the chances you won't be able to keep up with the payments on that money you cash advanced. With the banks already in bad shape they will begin to cut back on what you borrower if you make them nervous in any way. Credit lines are being reduced all the time. I hear the same story every day. The bank lowered my limit or the bank closed my credit card.

If your credit lines haven't change yet, don't think you are out of the woods because you have a great credit score and credit history. Soon as you start running up balances on your credit cards you are going to send up a red flag with your bank. You could be waving your credit lines good-bye. The will be gone just when you need them most. The best thing to do is start putting money aside for an emergency.

For more interesting information, just click : http://financialelite.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-should-i-do-if-i-lose-my-job.html

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A Brief History

by Lindsay, source : http://healthystride.blogspot.com/2010/04/brief-history.html 
                 

I weighed in at 289 6 months after giving birth to my 3rd baby in 2005. It all started with my fear of getting diabetes. I was 21 years old and unhealthy and totally unfit. I embarked on my weigh loss journey, with a family challenge of the biggest looser.

Before at 289

 After at 167

I started my journey with a simple 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. I was so driven, I never missed. I knew surgery wasn't for me, or pills or weird diets. I WANTED TO DO IT ON MY OWN!!!!! I ate relatively healthy, but let's be honest relatively healthy at that time was VERY healthy to my body. It was such a good feeling to see the numbers on the scale drop so quickly at the start. As I got to the point where I needed to up my workouts with extra help, I took some weight training classes and group fitness classes at the local gym.

I was able to loose a total of 122 pounds in about 2 years. I have maintained a 112 pound weight loss for 4 years!!!  I am now at the point in my journey with new goals that I would like to accomplish on this never ending ever changing adventure.

 One of my biggest regrets is not blogging or logging my previous weight loss accomplishments. Therefore I invite you to follow me on my way to loosing 25 pounds and training for a half marathon in August and a relay race in September.

This is my CRAZY I CAN DO IT face :)

For more interisting information, click: : http://healthystride.blogspot.com/2010/04/brief-history.html

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An Anniversary Present(ation)

By , source : http://266-twosixtysix.blogspot.com/2010/08/anniversary-presentation.html

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 15 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with 2 scrambled eggs, deli ham, grated cheese, and mushrooms
- 1 glass of a strawberry breakfast drink
- 1 glass mango juice
- 2 fruit creme cookies
- 1 mixed berry whole grain cereal bar
- 3/4 cup bacon
- 1 homemade chive and cheese biscuit
- 1/2 cup roast potatoes with margarine
- 1/2 cob corn with margarine
- 2 cups steamed broccoli with margarine
- 3/4 cup fat free mixed berry yogurt with 1 cup wheat flake cereal

EXERCISE:
- 30 stomach crunches

For more interisting information, click http://266-twosixtysix.blogspot.com/2010/08/anniversary-presentation.html

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Walking Clubs for Fitness Motivation

By Isadora, source : http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2006/09/walking-clubs-for-fitness-motivation.html                 

I know a woman, a friend of a friend, who has a gorgeous figure. She's slim and has a very healthy glow about her. She's no young pup in her twenties. She was born the same year as me.

And the secret to her fit body and vibrant looks is a regular walking regiment. She started this a few years ago, when her two kids were still in elementary school. She wasn't the type of person who enjoyed solitary walks so she joined a local walking club. She's been very serious about it since and walks at least twenty miles a week. Although she's a very social person and has always attracted lots of friends, the four or five women she walks with regularly have become her closest friends by far.

The walking club seems to provide much more than a way to get fit and healthy. The friendships that she's developed there go a long way in making life much more interesting and joyful. Why pay a psychiatrist $150 an hour to discuss your problems when you can walk and talk it out every day with an understanding friend?

I set a goal of walking at least twenty miles a week almost a year ago. But I've failed to do this. Maybe I should consider a walking club. It's not easy to do when you've got a toddler but this is what I've been thinking about lately. These days it's easier to find the local walking clubs in your area. You can just type in 'walking club' and your city name and get some good leads. But the local community centre is probably the best place to start inquiring.
____
The lovely duck walking photo above is by Pieter Pieterse

For more interisting information, click http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/search/label/Walking%20for%20Weight%20Loss

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Backsliding

By DietDiva, Source http://dare2diet.blogspot.com/2007/07/backsliding.html

This week has been very rough. I've been so sick that I haven't been able to track my points, and when I can't plan, I don't do well. And then it's like a slippery slope. I do bad, think negatively, then mentally give up on the week.

I didn't go to my meeting today because I'm in too much pain. When I stepped on the scale myself this morning I had gained 4 pounds from last week. Today, I was going to go back to the plan but ended up caving into cravings.

I made a WW pumpkin spice cake recipe (5 points) that I was going to have for breakfast and I ended up eating tons of it tonight instead. :(

Again, I believe it's because mentally, I feel like I've already screwed up the week, so what's one more day. I know that logically that's not a good way to think, but there you have it.

I'm turning over to a new week in my 3-month journal tomorrow and hopefully that'll get me in the mindset I need to be in.

The pain subsided enough this morning for me to do a 20 minute mile on my treadmill, followed by some strength training, but then I paid for it later pain-wise. And it certainly wasn't enough to make up for the spice cake!

I'm just so depressed and disappointed in myself. I had been making so much progress and now it will probably take me two weeks just to lose what I gained this week.

Just when I thought I was doing such a great job....

For more interisting information, click : http://dare2diet.blogspot.com/2007/07/backsliding.html

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Mushrooms have Amazing Healing Benefits

By Isadora, source : http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2007/02/mushrooms-have-amazing-healing.html                                   

Mushrooms are often overlooked in today's daily diet but they are loaded with nutrition and amazing health benefits.

One of the most nutritious mushrooms is the shiitake. (They are on the top left in the photo above). These mushrooms make great meat substitutes. You can eat them on their own sauteed with butter and garlic as a side dish or put them in stir fries and soups.

Shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for over 6,000 years. An eight ounce serving (at only 87 calories) will provide you with twenty percent of your daily recommended iron intake, and about ten percent each of Vitamin C, protein and fiber.

Shiitake mushrooms contain lentinan. Lentinan has amazing healing benefits. It boosts the immune system to fight infection or disease. It has been shown to be more effective than prescription drugs in fighting influenza and other viruses. It's also been shown to be effective at destroying cancer cells. And it lowers cholesterol levels in lab animals no matter what kinds of fats they are fed.

Nutrition is still a very young science and it was only just over a year ago that L-ergothioneine, an extremely powerful antioxidant, was discovered in mushrooms:

In research presented at the 2005 American Chemical Society meeting in Washington, D.C., an American research team revealed that mushrooms contain higher concentrations L-ergothioneine than either of the two dietary sources previously believed to contain the most: chicken liver and wheat germ.

Testing mushrooms consumed in the U.S., the team found that shiitake, oyster, king oyster and maitake mushrooms contain the highest amounts of ergothioneine, with up to 13 mg in a 3-ounce serving. This equals forty times as much as is found in wheat germ.

Of the most commonly consumed mushrooms, portabellas and criminis have the most L-ergothioneine, followed by white buttons. White buttons, the most popular of all mushrooms consumed in the U.S., contain up to 5 mg per three ounce serving-12 times as much as wheat germ and 4 times more than chicken liver. And more good news, L-ergothioneine is not destroyed when mushrooms are cooked.

So where to get them and how to cook them? You can find dried shiitake in most supermarkets these days. Before cooking, soak them for about half an hour. Then chop them and discard the stem as well as the tough middle part above the stem. I like to sautee them in butter and garlic and then add them to a steamed vegetable such as kale or swiss chard. They are also really good in miso soup.

Check out the just hungry blog for more info about dried mushrooms. The above photo is by Chika.

For more interisting information, click http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2007/02/mushrooms-have-amazing-healing.html

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What is the Healthiest Vegetable?

By Isadora, source : http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2006/04/what-is-healthiest-vegetable.html

The healthiest prize for all vegetables goes to swiss chard. Chard is the 'king' of all vegetables. It is also widely available, cheap and very easy to cook.

One cup of cooked chard is only 35 calories. But the wealth of nutrition you can get from this one cup is quite incredible.

Vitamin A
Typically we think of carrots when we think of foods high in Vitamin A. But one cup of cooked chard will give you 109 percent of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A.

Vitamin C
Normally we think of citrus fruits to get our vitamin C quota. But one cup of chard will supply us with 52% of our daily needs for Vitamin C.

Dietary Fiber
Bran comes to mind when we think of meeting our daily dietary needs for fiber. But one cup of chard provides us with 15 percent of our daily needs for dietary fiber. That's about the same amount as in one heavy-duty bran muffin.

Potassium
Potassium is very important for the nerves. You'd have to eat two bananas (the highest concentrated fruit for potassium) to equal one cup of cooked chard and get 27 percent of your daily requirement for potassium.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is very important for a healthy sex drive and anti-aging benefits. Chard is one of the few vegetables with significant Vitamin E. It provides 16 percent of our daily requirement.

Calcium
We usually think of milk when we're concerned about getting adequate calcium. But swiss chard makes a good substitute. One cup of chard has about 35% of the calcium (and only one quarter of the calories) as one cup of 2% milk.

To see more about the outstanding health benefits of chard, check out the best source of non-profit nutritional information online; the WHFoods site. They provide an impressive wealth of information about the world's healthiest foods.

The photos shown here are by rappy and Mom the Barbarian at Flickr.

Chard is part of a group of vegetables known as 'greens'. Greens include chard, kale and collard greens and these three vegetables are almost equal in their tremendous health benefits.

Forget about counting calories and see more about how eating vegetables is a great way to lose weight by actually eating more food instead of less.

Chard is also really easy to cook. See a quick recipe here.

For more interisting information, click http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2006/04/what-is-healthiest-vegetable.html

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Two Weigh-In's After Two Tough Weeks

By DietDiva, source : http://dare2diet.blogspot.com/2007/06/two-weigh-ins-after-two-tough-weeks.html

Life has been so hectic that it's been hard to keep up with blogging. So I'm playing catch-up and posting two weigh-ins in one post.

Okay, last week's weigh-in, which came after vacationing and me "blowing it" most of the weekend:

159.2 pounds, down 1.6 pounds for the week, for a total LOSS of 11.6 pounds overall!!!! (I wasn't putting in ounces before but have since corrected that)

Now for today's weigh-in, which came after a HORRIBLY challenging week, eating-wise:

157.4 pounds, down 1.8 pounds for the week, for a total loss of 13.4 pounds overall!!!

I think all of the walking and activity helped work off some of the extra food I indulged in while on vacation.

This past week, my hormones have made me want to binge constantly. But I do the 10-minute rule (I think that's how long they give) where an urge will pass if you do something else to get through it. And it's worked.

For the times it hasn't, rather than throwing my hands up in the air and giving in, I am taking a different approach and counting what I've binged on.

I used to say "Oh well, I've already messed up. I might as well just keep eating and stop fighting it." Which led to horrible results.

And in doing this new method of thinking, I actually found that I wasn't really "blowing it." In fact, I still has a few extra weekly points left.

So a combination of reframing, distraction, positive thinking, accountability, no-guilt trips, and writing what I eat really paid off!

I thought for sure I would've gained with all of my slip-ups this week, but I am SO proud of myself for overcoming old patterns and making it through this hurdle. And losing weight at the same time! Wow, it feels so good, so empowering and so liberating!!

My goal for this week is to get to 155 or less. I'm less than four pounds away from 10%, too!!! But I think expecting to lose four pounds in a week is an unrealistic goal. If it happens, great. If not, I wasn't expecting it.

155 would definitely make me happy. That's the weight I got to when I did WW online by myself and it's where I got stuck. But at that time, it was a 10 pound loss. I'm THRILLED to be at 13.4 pounds lost, and hope that I don't hit a plateau again at 155.

Oh, and something that happened to me today at weigh-in just made my whole year. The lady taking my weight (LOVE her!) said to me, "Has anyone checked your weight range? You don't look like you need to be dieting!"

Oh, that just sent me over the moon!

We looked up my range which is 135-169, so I'm smack in the middle of normal. But for me, my ideal weight is 145 and I'm determined to get to it. Being told I look good now, though, certainly doesn't hurt! :)

So here are the stats:

Starting Weight:170.8
Week 2:166.5 (-4.2)(there was actually another six instead of a five but I don't like three sixes in a row so I fibbed.)
Week 3:163.8 (-2.8)
Week 4:160.8 (-3)(I missed a meeting sometime around this weight so I'm actually one week ahead of where they have me at in my folder...but to avoid confusion, I'll just post what's in my folder)
Week 5:159.2 (-1.6)
Week 6:157.4 (-1.8)

Again, for a grand total loss of 13.4 pounds.

This week's goal: Get to 155 or below. Continue to battle emotional eating with all the tools I've learned.

For more interisting information, click http://dare2diet.blogspot.com/2007/06/two-weigh-ins-after-two-tough-weeks.html

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Weight Loss Surgery is Scary

By Isadora, source : http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2007/01/weight-loss-surgery-is-scary.html

There's a young woman who went ahead with a gastric bypass operation seven weeks ago. She is also one of the best writers I've encountered anywhere online.

She has been blogging about her weight loss struggles for over two years.

She made the decision to go ahead with weight loss surgery after much thought. And before she went through with it she had horrible second thoughts. But she went ahead with the operation on November 7th. A few days later she told us how painful it was. However, since November 20th she has not posted at all. Her blog seems to be abandoned and a lot of her readers (including myself) are very worried about her.

Her site is at Hello, I am Fat.

Update January 19th: Relief and good news. She's back and just posted on her blog again. She's lost a lot of weight already, still having a very hard time post-surgery but appears to be recovering and feeling better each day.

For more interisting information, click http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2007/01/weight-loss-surgery-is-scary.html

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Good Health Simplified

by Toni Brayer, MD

source : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2010/11/good-health-simplified.html              

You can't do anything about your genes but here is the formula for good health...simplified:

0           Cigarettes
5           Servings Fruits and Vegetables a Day
10         Minutes of Silence or Relaxation a Day
30         Body Mass Index below 30
150       Minutes of Exercise a week


You knew this already...but are you really doing it?

for more interesting information, please click : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2010/11/good-health-simplified.html

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Health Care is Not Recession Proof

Source : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

I've heard people say that health care is recession proof.  Even when the economy is suffering, people still get sick and need service.  The current recession is entering the 3rd year and it has finally caught up to the health industry.  The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 16 mass hospital layoffs in October, up from 10 in September.  Mass layoffs involve 50 or more employees and in the first 10 months of 2010,  128 mass layoffs occurred.  The Bureau projects 12,349 initial claims for unemployment benefits, which surpasses the number in 2009.

What causes mass layoffs?  The recession and unemployment has reduced demand for elective procedures and reduced reimbursement from government programs (Medicaid and Medicare).  Charity care has also increased and hospitals are adjusting to a lower bottom line by eliminating their most costly item...employees.

Physicians, too, have noticed a decrease in patients in the office.  Doctors who previously had a long wait for appointments are now more available.  That is a good outcome.  But bad debt is soaring.  Insurance companies have shifted more first dollar coverage to employees in the form of high deductibles and co-pays.  Neither the patient nor the doctor knows how much the patient's responsibility will be at the time of the visit.  When the bill is finally adjudicated...sometimes months later...it is increasingly more difficult to collect from the patient.  (As an example, I just got an insurance check from an office visit in June.)

Despite these gloomy facts, health care remained among the few sectors adding jobs.  The health sector grew by 0.2%.

for more interesting information, please click : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

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Top 10 Articles Read by Doctors

Source : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2010/12/top-10-articles-read-by-doctors.html

Now that the end of the decade is near, we are hearing and reading about "the top this and that" from music to fashion to political downfalls.  Medscape has their own top 10 articles that were read by physicians on their site.  I find it interesting to see what my colleagues plug in to when they are not seeing patients.  The only surprise to me was the Brain Tumor "risk" because I thought that was settled years ago!  I'm not surprised about number 2 or 3.  Everyone I know is trying to survive in some way.

Here are the highlights from the Medscape Top 10 for physicians in 2010:

1. Brain Tumour Risk in Relation to Mobile Telephone Use
   Is it safe to take that call?
2. Trashed on the Internet: What Should You Do?
   Does a physician have any recourse if patients post a bad review on an Internet rating site?
3. Six Ways to Earn Extra Income From Medical Activities
   Physicians are seeking ways to create more revenue. These activities may bring in additional profit.
4. Physician in Whistle-Blower Case Charged by Texas Medical Board
   A nurse who had reported the physician to the Texas Medical Board in 2009 was acquitted of a felony charge of misuse of official information.
5. FDA Issues Second Warning Against Treating Leg Cramps With Quinine
   Treating such cramps with quinine is an off-label use with potentially serious adverse effects.
6. Berwick Appointed to Head CMS Without Senate Vote
   President Obama used his power of "recess appointment" to avoid a possible Republican filibuster of the nomination of Dr. Berwick to the CMS post.
7. Abbott Withdraws Sibutramine From Market
   The FDA pulled the weight-loss medication from the market after data pointed to a 16% increase in the risk for serious cardiovascular events.
8. FDA Warns of Suicide Risk for Tramadol
   The agency advised physicians that the opioid may be sought by patients with drug abuse and addiction problems or those with criminal diversion in mind.
9. Calcium Supplements Boost Heart-Attack Risk
   A meta-analysis finds that calcium supplements increase the risk for MI.
10. Healthcare Reform Resource Center
    The evolving debate was chronicled by Medscape throughout 2010.

for more interesting information, please click : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2010/12/top-10-articles-read-by-doctors.html

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Answer to the Medical Challenge

Source: http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/answer-to-medical-challenge.html

I apologize to anxious readers for the tardy answer. 

The answer to the "tender ear lesion" is #4 Candida.
Congrats to the brilliant diagnosticians who got it.  This was very hard because the ear is not a common site for a yeast infection and only 7% of the doctors taking the quiz online got it right.  The most common answer from physicians was squamous cell carcinoma.

A few give-aways:
1. Impetigo (caused by staph or strep) usually responds quickly to antibiotics
2. The lesion appeared suddenly and cancer and other growths are usually slow growing
3.  A candida infection can mimic the bacterial disease.


Candida albicans is a common fungal infection that causes diaper rash, thrush (mouth) and "yeast" infections. It usually needs a moist environment to grow and the normal skin bacteria usually acts as a barrier from letting Candida take hold.  Antibiotics that get rid of the normal flora allow Candida to take hold (as it did in this case).

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for more interesting information, please click : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/answer-to-medical-challenge.html

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Fraud Behind Vaccine Autism Scare

By Toni Brayer, MD

Source :  http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/fraud-behind-vaccine-autism-scare.html

Most parents and all Pediatricians are aware of the 1998 study published in The Lancet by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that mentioned a causal link between Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine and the increased incidence of childhood Autism.  It shook the medical community and created an international movement of parents questioning the extensive combination of immunizations that are given to children.  Could these immunizations be the cause of the increase in Autism cases we have seen since the 1960s?

In 2010, The Lancet  formally retracted the link from the study and 10 of the original authors denounced it,  but that didn't make top news.  The movement, now has a celebrity spokesperson in Jenny McCarthy, and more and more stories of children who were perfect before the vaccine and then suddenly regressed.

Now the British Medical Journal has published a series of articles that shows how Wakefield, now 54, was judged by a five member panel to be guilty of some 30 charges, including four counts of dishonesty and 12 of causing children to be subjected to invasive procedures that were clinically unjustified.  Dr. John Walker-Smith, 74, professor of pediatric gastroenterology and  a collaborator of Wakefield,  was deemed irresponsible and unethical also as they developed their theory together and trolled the halls and clinics for patients they could investigate and then report had developed bowel symptoms after vaccines. 

Around the same time,  Dr. Wakefield and several business colleagues launched a business venture that would sell diagnostic tests for vaccine-induced diseases and transfer factor-based vaccines and therapies. The BMJ authors found that a prospectus distributed to potential investors said the venture was expected to make more than $40 million within three years.  In addition, Wakefield received more than $650,000 from lawyers trying to build a case against vaccine manufacturers.  The same lawyers funded his clinical research that was later published, (and never duplicated),  an unbelievable conflict of interest and frankly fraudulent.

The fantastic investigative reporting in BMJ ends with a very nice timeline so you can see the events that started the vaccine scare in 1998 and where it ended up today.  In the meantime, Dr. Wakefield became a very rich man.

"The MMR scare was based not on bad science but on a deliberate fraud," BMJ Editor-in-Chief Fiona Godlee said in a prepared statement, "Such clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare."

It is a sad black mark on science and it shows again the corruptive influence of money, greed, power, anecdotal reporting by the press, bad peer review by professional journals,  and just plain fraud and how it can influence decades of patient care.   Here we are 13 years later and thousands of parents are afraid of vaccinating their children because of this fraudulent scheme.

Check out the link and always remember that Science is an evolving, changing field.  One study or one case is not proof of anything.  There are no wonder drugs.  There are few (or no)  simple answers to complex questions in life.

 for more interesting information, please click : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/fraud-behind-vaccine-autism-scare.html

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Eating Big Calories at Breakfast Can Make You Fat

Source : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/eating-big-calories-at-breakfast-can.html

Haven't we all learned that breakfast should be our biggest meal?  "Start the day off with "fuel" and you can burn it off as the day goes on." "Eat a big breakfast and you will eat fewer calories all day long".  This advice is probably not true, and in fact a new study published in Nutrition Journal shows that people ate the same at lunch and dinner, regardless of what they had at breakfast.  If a person ate 1000 calories at breakfast  (which is easy to do with bacon, eggs, toast, hashbrowns, juice), they had a total increase in calories eaten throughout the day by 1000 cals.

This doesn't mean we should be skipping breakfast.  The problem may be what we historically think of as an American breakfast.  It might have worked for the farmer in the past or the laborer hauling lumber but it's just too many calories for our current level of activity.

But there is nothing wrong with a "European" breakfast of whole grain cereal and fruit.  Or yogurt and fruit.  Or one egg and toast.  Or cheese and bread (whole grain of course) like the French.
 

What about a muffin from Starbucks and coffee?  The blueberry muffin carries 470 calories and almost 1/2 of those are fat.  The Starbucks coffee cake is a whopping 630 calories.  The tall latte adds another 204 calories. (90-126 calories for a nonfat latte).

If you are happy with your weight you can ignore this article because you have already learned the appropriate caloric intake for your level of activity.  But if you are one of the millions of readers who are trying to lose weight, this study shows that overweight subjects should pay attention to those breakfast calories and eat less as a way to reduce total calories for the day.

for more interesting information, please click : http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/01/eating-big-calories-at-breakfast-can.html

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NEW VITAMIN D TEST

source : http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-vitamin-d-test.html

 

New test may help detect vitamin D deficiency earlier

By Nathan Gray, 27-Jan-2011

A new diagnostic vitamin D assay to be released in Europe may help to detect early deficiency, and could help to provide more accurate data for dieticians and researchers.

Developed by the diagnostic lab technology company Abbott to detect the amount of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the ARCHITECT 25-OH Vitamin D is a new diagnostic test to measure levels of vitamin D in blood using an automated instrument system.

Abbot announced Conformité Européenne (CE) marking for the assay, which is intended for the assessment of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in human serum and plasma to determine vitamin D status, but added that currently the test is not approved for use in the US.

Abbot said the assay will provide a quick and accurate gauge of vitamin D status in blood samples – which may provide greater opportunities for preventive and therapeutic interventions in at risk populations.

D deficiency

“Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a global health problem, and vitamin D supplementation should be considered for all people at risk of vitamin D deficiency,” said Dr Jean-Claude Souberbielle, of the Université Paris.

He added that determination of the serum vitamin D concentration and supplementation according to the measured deficiency level is important for patients with osteoporosis, chronic kidney disease, abnormalities in absorbing food nutrients, and more generally, in those with a disease or a treatment that may impair bone health.

The UK National Institute of Health (NiH) said that whilst testing for levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D is currently the most accurate way to determine vitamin D levels, many assays that are used can be notoriously inaccurate. 
“As a major diagnostic lab, serum 25-OH vitamin D has become an increasingly important diagnostic marker to us,” said Dr. Frans AL van der Horst, from the Reinier de Graaf Group, Netherlands.

Brian Blaser, senior vice president, diagnostic operations for Abbott said that the new vitamin D assay is “a valuable and convenient addition” which provides an automated test for samples that may previously have been sent to outside reference labs.

for more interesting info, please click : http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-vitamin-d-test.html

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What is Cellulite?

Source : http://wellness-fitness-health.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-is-cellulite.html

There are several people, especially women, who get embarrassed due to the effects of cellulite on their body. With the number of treatments out there promising effective results against cellulites, many people wonder what are those treatments that actually work.

Some might say that cellulite creams are effective. However, these creams only hide the effects of cellulite for a short period of time and do not actually eliminate the cellulites.

Because of this, several people have come into terms with their excess baggage on their thighs and arms and just learned to live with it. What they do not know is that there are still available treatments for cellulite that provide considerable results.

Cellulite???

Cellulite is a condition that usually occurs on men and more commonly on women. The condition is characterized by the dimpling of the skin located on the lower limbs, pelvic region, and abdomen after puberty.

There are several factors accounting to the occurrence of the condition and one of them is hormones. Many believe that hormones play a central role in the formation of cellulite. Estrogen, which is also the most significant hormone, has the tendency to start and worsen cellulite. There are also other hormones though to be involves, such as: insulin, thyroid hormones, catecholamines adrenaline, noradrenaline and prolactin.

On the other hand, there are also predisposing factors that might have caused the formation of cellulites. Such factors include the biotype, which is a determining hormone receptor allele for the number and sensitivity of fat distribution in the body, gender and race.

Treatments for Cellulite

There are several known treatments for cellulite. Two of them are Mesotherapy and Endermologie. The latter is a patented procedure developed in France during the 1980s. It reached the United States in 1996. This less invasive procedure uses an Endermologie machine, which utilizes rollers and gentle vacuuming to give a deep massage to the affected areas.

Endermologie works by lifting the skin through the vacuum, which in turn mobilizes the deep tissue. The rollers, on the other hand, provide a deep and subdermal massage to the fibrous connective tissue. These simultaneous actions will loosen the compressed and trapped fat, thus easing the circulation of the blood.

Mesotherapy, on the other hand, works by injecting small amounts of medications, vitamins and amino acids to the mesoderm layer of the skin. This is done in order to break down the cellulite and enhance circulation.

Why Cellulite Treatment Does Not Work

Probably one of the most popular and most advertised kinds of cellulite treatment is the cream. However, there is no miracle cream that can command your thighs to eat away the cellulite. Nevertheless, the creams work by smoothing and lifting the surface of your skin in order to reduce the appearance of the horrible skin puckering.

The most important ingredients of these creams are caffeine and retinol. These two aid the outer layer of our skin to firm and relieve the bumps. There are also other ingredients in the cream that help make your skin look smoother, decrease stretch marks and provide an overall illusion of a baby’s butt.

Although these creams are very expensive, many women are taking refuge in these products in the hope of eliminating cellulite. What they do not know is that cellulite is still there. The cream only works by masking the effect of cellulite on the outside. Doctors are yet to find a verifiable and working solution for cellulite.

Alternatives in Battling Cellulites

Recently, another player comes into the battlefield and it is known by the name of Cellulite laser treatment. This treatment is still in its experimental stage and is still being improved. More so, the treatment is a process that involves physical massage and exterior influence of a properly calibrated laser. The laser then penetrates the skin and softens the subcutaneous fat allowing them to be reshaped and change in appearance.

Generally, cellulite laser treatment might feel like a deep tissue massage. After the treatment, patients would report slight reddening and some bruising on the treated areas; these are nothing to worry about because they can disappear in a matter of days. The treatment offers a possible solution to the skin problem though it is recommended for the patients to change their diet and maintain their health after the procedure.

For more info, please click : http://wellness-fitness-health.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-is-cellulite.html

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